McQuade was working for Hydro-Marine Construction, based on Hainesport, when the accident occurred.

According to a USA Today story from 2011, McQuade was a Marine veteran who had suffered a collapsed lung and an injury to his knee after a car accident while on duty. He was discharged in 2001, the story said.

"You spend five years of your life (in the military), living a very disciplined lifestyle. You come out and it's like, 'What do I do now?'" McQuade is quoted as saying.

The story said that McQuade was married with two young children.

McQuade was a diver, responsible for welding and pouring concrete underwater, according to USA Today.

Authorities have yet to say exactly how the accident occurred, but they have said they do not believe it is suspicious. Early reports indicated that he was pinned by a barge under the bridge. The company he was working for declined to say what type of work the company was doing near the Morgan Bridge on Route 35.

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the cause of the incident, Sayreville police said. The Coast Guard, State Police and Old Bridge police also assisted the investigation.